Looks as though the second-generation Nexus 7 is confirmed for a late July release, as Best Buy is reportedly offering the updated 7 inch tablet on July 30, and Staples is supposedly selling the tablet on July 31. Whichever date it may be, the news seemingly confirms that Google plans to introduce the new Nexus 7 tablet on Wednesday during a special "breakfast" with Sundar Pichai in San Francisco.
News of Best Buy's sell date arrives by way of a leaked ad that is scheduled to run on Sunday, July 28. Stating that the tablet will be available the following Tuesday, the ad shows a $229.99 pricetag for the 16 GB model sporting a 1920 x 1200 resolution. You'll have everything you need to access Gmail, Google Maps, YouTube and more, the ad states.
The tablet shown in the ad corresponds to the recent press shots leaked by @evleaks over the weekend. The renders don't say much in regards to what's inside, but clearly shows the rear-facing camera mounted at the top-left on the rear panel, and an all-black, thinner chassis (bye bye silver lip). It also appears to be a bit longer than the original to support the added camera, provides a thinner border on the sides, and has a Nexus branding that's horizontal when the tablet is placed in a landscape position. Hopefully Asus has fixed the issue that caused the original's screen to separate from the plastic bezel.
The press shots also reveal that the front-facing camera has been offset to the right. A pair of speakers are on the rear's north and south ends while the volume, power and microphone input are lined along the tablet's right edge. There's speculation that the shown wallpaper points to Android 4.3 "Jelly Bean", but that's the same wallpaper offered on the Nexus 10 which supports a 2560 x 1600 resolution – the current first-gen Nexus 7 only has a 1280 x 800 resolution whereas the new model enters Full HD territory.
Still, the newer second-gen model will reportedly come packed with Android 4.3 nonetheless. This won't be a dramatic increase as expected with Android 5.0 "Key Lime Pie", but will hopefully resolve the freezing and rebooting issues surrounding Google's Nexus 10 tablet (I'm on my second). Android 4.3 will supposedly offer "under the hood" improvements to provide a faster experience, new widgets, support for Bluetooth Low energy, an improved camera app and more.
The updated OS along with the new Nexus 7 are expected to be formally announced this week, and perhaps even a new Nexus 10 model as well.
